Meaningful metrics for Australian businesses returning to work

The Australian business landscape has evolved drastically since the pandemic hit the continent and each week has brought yet another wave of change for leaders to deal with. Now, with the situation starting to relent and restrictions being lowered, there is a new challenge on the horizon. How do we return to working as normal and what does that even look like?

There is an urgency for Australian business leaders in getting prepared for the big shift. In some ways, this will prove a reversal of the experience at the start of the pandemic. The question is, will leaders be more prepared this time to hit the ground running?

In our ongoing series on Leading through a crisis for a healthier future, we dive into the various aspects of our crisis management framework. This week, we explore a key step that will ensure leaders can manage the shift back to some level of normalcy more effectively – looking at the opportunity in data and meaningful metrics.

Leaders must prepare for the changes that have occurred since the start of the crisis, understanding what the new normal looks like and championing the positives that have come out of this experience. To enable this, we must have all the necessary information at hand to properly execute change and reduce the probability of errors. However, an overload of information becomes distracting rather than helpful.

Focusing on the data that matters

Australian business leaders must set the tone for how data is filtered through to the different levels of the organisation and how it is acted upon by different departments. This is where a well-formed rapid response team (RRT) from our previous article would play a significant role

Here are three key areas for Australian business leaders to focus efforts and ensure a streamlined strategy around getting back to business:

1. Understanding what the workforce will look like. The way we work and manage the workforce has changed dramatically, with most companies shifting to an almost entirely remote model during the crisis. We now understand that the future of our teams will be more hybrid in nature. Greater work location flexibility is likely to be a part of our new normal. The data from this crisis will help leaders challenge previous thinking around what can and cannot be done remotely and how roles can have flexibility and work outside the traditional business model. Now is the time to create a framework to bring these insights into the standard way of working.
2. Identifying performance measures for hybrid working environments. Visibility of performance is now more important than ever. Hybrid working environments rely on clear and transparent sharing of information and metrics to create much needed engagement. During this transition, the creation of a common language through metrics and performance measures will enhance engagement and build on a culture of continuous improvement. Using these meaningful metrics when hosting virtual meetings and daily huddles will ensure unity within teamwork, creating a pathway for success.
3. Adopting and integrating the right technology. Australian business leaders need to have access to a solution that provides visibility over end to end performance and an understanding of operational improvement in customer, culture, quality, productivity, employee engagement, risk and compliance. This is what it means to have a single source of truth for all operational data, the ideology that supports Enlighten’s clients in measuring and implementing solutions.

While a crisis can bring significant disruption to the business, it can also provide an opportunity for learning and evolving at a scale not afforded during regular operations. Leaders must use this as a way to create sustainability for the future, both in improving operations and being ready for future crises.

Establish a healthier future by focusing on meaningful metrics for your hybrid workforce. Explore how Enlighten can help you establish visibility of your new way of working through our Single Source of Truth ideology with a free consultation. Contact Helen Mackay, Head of Sales and Marketing, for a virtual coffee chat at helen.mackay@enlighten-opex.com.